Device for automatically operating elevator-doors



(No Model.) 2.Sheets-Sheet 1.

E. A. HALDEMAN.

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING ELEVATOR DOORS. No. 561,164, PatentedJune 2, 1896.

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E. A. HALYDEMAN. ZSh'eets-Sheet 2,

Patented-June '2, 1896.

VezzZa (No Model.)

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING ELEVATOR nouns. No. 561,164.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EPHRAIM A. HALDEMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR AUTOMATICALLY OPERATING ELEVATOR-DOORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 561 ,164, dated June 2,1896.

I Application filed July 3, 1895. Serial No. 554,874. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EPHRAIM A. HALDE- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devicesfor Automatically Operating Elevator Doors; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in that class of elevators usedin office, apartment, and other buildings, and has for its object toprovide an attachment for automatically opening and closing theelevator-doors, as will be hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a broken-away sectional elevation lookingoutwardly from the shaft, the car being shown in position betweenlandings; Fig. 2, a broken-away sectional elevation of anoperating-cylinder system, the vacuum-exhaust pipe being shown inelevation; Fig. 3, a broken-away vertical section on line 3, Fig. 2,looking in the direction indicated by the arrow; Fig. 4, a detailsectional elevation on line 4, Fig. l Fig. 5, a-

detail sectional elevation on line 5, Fig. 1; Figs. 6 and 7, detacheddetails of the companion shifting-arms; Fig. 8, a broken-away sectionalelevation on line 8, Fig. 9; Fig. 9, a broken-away sectional elevationon line 9, Fig. 1; and Fig. 10, a broken-away plan of the top of thedoor and the locking mechanism.

A may represent the side walls inclosing an elevator-shaft, B the frontwall, 0 the car, and D the landing-door in the front wall andcontrolling the usual passageway therethrough.

The door is supported in a suspended position from the inside of thefront wall and is adapted to have a sliding movement edgewise across thedoor-opening therein.

A bracket E, Fig. 1, is rigidly secured to the inner side of the frontwall above the door and is connected therewith by a system of compoundlevers and links having pivotal joints or connections which provide forthe sliding movement of the door and which will next be described.

The upper ends of companion levers 11 and 12 are pivotedto the upperpart and one end of the supporting bracket, as at a. The lower end oflever 11 is connected to the joining ends of links 13 and 14 by a commonpi vot-pin a. The lower joining ends of links 14: and 15 are connectedto one corner of the door by a pivot-pin o The lower end of lever 12 isconnected with the joining ends of links 15 and 16 by a pivot-pin a Oneend of a link 17 is pivoted, as at a to the supporting-bracket, theopposite end being connected to the joining ends of links 13 and 16 by apivot-pin a This comprises one of a pair of hangers supporting andmoving the door.

The upper end of lever 18 of the companion hanger is secured to theopposite end of the supporting-bracket by a pivot-pin b. The lower endof lever 18 is connected to the joining ends of links 19 and 20 by apivot-pin Z). The lower ends of links 20 and 21 are connected to. theopposite upper corner of the door from that of the companion hanger by apivot-pin 17 The joining ends of links 19, 22, and 23 are connected by apivot-pin b the upper end of link 23 being pivoted to thesupporting-bracket, as at b An angular or bell-crank lever 24 isconnected at its pivotal point to the supporting-bracket by the samepivot-pin I), inserted through the joining end of lever 18. The lowerend of angular lever 24 is connected to the joining ends of links 21 and22 by a pivot 19 The upper end of angular lever 24 is pivoted to one endof a link 25, the opposite end of which is in turn connected to a pin01, Figs. 1 and 2, secured in a collar 26, mounted on a piston-rod 27located in cylinders 28 and 29. The cylinders 28 and 29 form what may betermed combined air and vacuum cylinders, joined together, atmosphericair being admitted to cylinder 28, but not to cylinder 29. The companionhangers are exact duplicates with the exception of the angular lever,the only difference from that of the corresponding lever in the firsthanger being that of the extension to connect with theoperating-pistons.

The series of levers and links entering into the construction of thehangers is so arranged as to exert a powerful leverage, thus requiringbut little power to move them and therewith the object supportedtherefrom. The landing-door is shown in its closed position,

and when open the levers and links will assume the opposite positionfrom that shown.

A piston is mounted on the lower end of rod 27 and is adapted to have areciprocating movement in cylinder 28. This cylinder is provided with aslot-opening 31, Fig. 1,which allows for the traversing movement of stud(Z, fixed in collar 26, projecting through the slot and having anoperative connection with one of the hangers. This slot does not extendinto that part of the cylinder traversed by the working piston so as tocommunicate with the vacuum side thereof.

The second cylinder 29 is connected to the upper end of the firstcylinder 28, as at 32. This cylinder is of a less diameter than cylinder28, as shown in Fig. 2, and is provided with a piston 33, mounted 011the upper end of rod 27. This piston is of a correspondingly less areawith reference to the piston in the first cylinder. These cylinders openinto each other, as shown, and form a differential vacuum system formoving the doors in opposite directions. One end of a threadedconnection 34, Fig. 2, engages with the lower end of cylinder 28. Atubular extension engages with the lower end of connection 31 andprovides a vacuum-chamber 36. Connection 231 is provided with a passage37, extending longitudinally therethrough and opening into cylinder 28and vacuum-chamber 36. A valve 38 is seated in connection 31 andcontrols the passage therethrough. The connection 34 is also providedwith an angular passage 39, which leads downwardly from the lower end ofcylinder 28 and opens out through the side, as shown in Fig.

One end of a rod 10 has a suitable conneetion with the inner end ofvalve 38. A head extension 41 is mounted on the outer end of rod and hasa locking-pin il-2 loosely inserted therethrough and adapted to have anendwise movement, which is limited in one direction by a nut 43 and inthe other by a head 41. A spring 15 returns and retains this pin in thenormal position. (Shown in Fig. 10.) One end of a valve-rod 16 issecured to the outer end of valve 38, Figs. 1 and 2, the opposite endresting loosely in a socket-bearing i7, secured rigidly in place. An arm48, Fig. 1, is rigidly mounted on the valve-rod. A lug 49 is formed onthe hub part 50 of arm 48 and has one end of a spring 51 connectedthereto, the opposite end of which is attached to a fixed lug 52. 4.8and the valve-rod to their normal position when rocked. A catch 53 isfixed on the top of the landing-door, Figs. 1 and 10, and is providedwith a beveled edge 5i. The door is shown closed. The locking-pin 42 andthe catch (shown in their relative locking positions) prevent the doorfrom being opened until the valve is rotated far enough to throw thelocking-pin out of the pathway of the catch. The corresponding normalposition of the valve is shown in Fig. 3, the port 55 therethroughregistering with passage 39 and This spring returns arm providing acommunication between cylinder 28 and the atmosphere. It will beunderstood that the arrangement of double cylinders and the operativeconnection between the same and the doors will be provided at eachlanding. The stand-pipe 50, connecting with a vacuum-pump (not shown)and with each vacuum-chamber by the tube 57, is, however, continuous tothe last landing.

A tube 58, Figs. 1 and 9, is rigidly secured to the elevator-car O. Ared 59 is located inside of this tube and is adapted to have a verticalmovement. A slide 60, rigidly secured to the upper end of rod 59 andprovided with an enlarged opening 61, is loosely mounted on theflattened end 62 of a rod 63, extending into tube 58, as shown in Fig.8. This slide is also provided with a diagonal slot (ii, in which ridesa pin 65, Fig. 8, that is rigidly inserted in. the flattened end of rod63. A foot-pedal piece 6G is secured to the lower end of rod 59 andprojects out through an elongated slot 67in tube 58. A spring 68 returnsthese parts to their normal positions when the pressure on thefoot-piece is relaxed.

The opposite end of rod (53 is loosely in sorted in a socket-bearing(5.), providing for an endwise movement. On this end of rod (33 areloosely mounted, Figs. 5, (i, and '7, companion arms 70 and 71, therelative normal positions of which are illustrated in Fig. 5 and areretained in those positions by a spring 7 2. The hub parts of these armsare each provided with a segmental slot 73, through which is insertedlocking-keys 74; and 75, fixed in rod (33. This arrangement adapts thearms to have a limited rocking or rotary movement. The end of each ofthe arms is provided with a projecting finger 70.

The door is shown closed and the diiiferent parts of the operatingmechanism in a correspondin g position.

\Vhen the elevator is on the up movement and the landing is reached, theoperator presses down on the foot-pedal, which has the effect ofimparting a slight cndwise movement to rod (33 and brings arm 70 intoposition to come in contact with arm -18 on the valve, and moves thevalve one-quarter of a turn and opening the passage from the largercylinder communicating with the vacuumehamber, which has the effect ofdrawing down the piston and automatically opening the door. \Vhen thefoot-pressure of the operator is relaxed, the spring underneath returnsthese parts to their normal positions, so that the atmospheric air willrush into the larger cylinder, which, together with the action of thesmaller vacuum-cylinder, has the effect of closing the door. It will bereadily seen and understood that the larger cylinder overcomes the areaof the lesser cylinder and so opens the door.

On the down movement of the car the companion arm comes in contact withthe arm on the valve-rod and rotates the valve and opens one passage andcloses the other in the same manner as when the car is on the upmovement, so that the operation of opening and closing the door isprecisely the same no mat ter in which direction the car is traveling.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure b y Letters Patent, is

1 The combination with a landing-door, of a vacuum-cylinder system,comprising cylinders of different diameters opening into each other andhavinga piston-rod common to each of said cylinders and pistons mountedon the respective ends thereof, an operative connection between saiddoor and the cylinder system, the elevator-car, and the operatingmechanism, for opening and closing the door, substantially as described.

In an elevator system, the combination with a landing-door, of acombined vacuum and air cylinder, a vacuum-cylinder of a less area andopening into the larger cylinder, a piston-rod, running from onecylinder to the other and having pistons mounted on the respective endsthereof, a vacuum-chamber, a connection, having passages and joining thelarger cylinder and said vacuum-chamber, a

-valve, seated in said connection and adapted elevator-doors, thecombination with combined vacuum and air cylinders, apiston-rod, commonto both of said cylinders and having pistons mounted on the respectiveends thereof, the elevator-door, a hanger, forming an operativeconnection between said door and piston-rod, and means, for impartingthe required movement to said pistons, substantially as described.

4:. In a device for automatically operating elevator-doors, thecombination with a'vacuuni-cylinder system, of the elevator-door, ahanger, comprising a series of compound levers, and links connectingsaid vacuum system and door, a rocking rod, a movable locking-bolt,inserted in the inner end of said rod,

a catch, mounted on the top of the elevatordoor and adapted to lock thesame against opening when said rod is in its normal position, aprojecting arm, mounted on the outer end of said rod and adapted to havean intermittent contact with a corresponding arm on the car, wherebysaid rod is rotated out of its locking position to permit of the doorbeing opened, substantially as described.

5. The combination with an air and vacuum cylinder, a vacuum-cylinderconnected thereto and opening therein, a piston-rod, common to both ofsaid cylinders and inclosed thereby, the pistons mounted on therespective ends of said rod, a vacuumchamber, a connection, joining oneend of the air and vacuum cylinder, said connection being provided withtwo ports orpassages therethrough, one forming a communication betweensaid cylinder and vacuum-chamber and the other leading outwardly fromsaid cylinder into the atmosphere, a valve, seated in said connection,and means for rotating said valve to alternately open and close thepassages through said connection, substantially as described.

6. The combination with an elevator-car, of a vertical rod, a foot-pedalmounted on the lower end of said rod, a spring, adapted to return saidrod to its normal position when the pressure on the pedal is relaxed, aslide, mounted 011 the upper end of said rod and provided with adiagonal groove, a horizontal rod, a pin, inserted in the inner endthereof and engaging with said slot for the purpose of imparting anendwise movement to said rod coincident with the endwise movement of thevertical rod, companion arms mounted on the outer end of said horizontalrod and adapted to have a limited rotary movement and contact with ashifting arm controlling the movement of the elevator-door,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EPIIRAIM A. I-IALDEMAN.

\Vitnesses L. M. FREEMAN, L. B. GOUPLAND.

